Article by Micki Findlay, Photos by Brian Argyle You’ve waited all winter long for this moment – driving along our island’s coastline — windows rolled down, wind in your hair, sun on your face. Suddenly, something catches your eye.Cats. Enormous, white cats perched playfully on the roof of a vine-covered house. One is playing the […]
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Keeper of the Caves
By Lissa AlexanderPhotos by Brian Argyle Richard Varela feels like caves today are akin to whales in the early twentieth century.“You could go out and harpoon the whale and drag it into the bay to a cheering crowd,” he says. “But then they started to protect whales.”Richard, Park Director at Horne Lake Caves, has been […]
RUSHING TO THE CUPS
GERRY JAMES – CFL & NHL By Lissa Alexander. Photos by Peter McCully, Lissa Alexander and submitted. Gerry James is a sports legend. His list of accomplishments is nothing short of astounding, including the only athlete to suit up for both the Grey Cup and Stanley Cup finals in the same season, and the first […]
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Making Circus Freaks
By Lissa Alexander. Photos by Brian Argyle and Lissa Alexander There are two types of people, those that like to wrap things around themselves and people who like to wrap themselves around things. This is according to Glenny Davidson, owner of Circus Freaks in Parksville.“This includes hard and soft objects,” Glenny explains. “I like the […]
Hopping to it
By Morgan Cross Photos by Peter McCully and Morgan Cross When Steven Morrison and Debbie Mann moved from Squamish to Nanoose Bay in 2015, the 80 acres of farmland now home to Island Hopper Farms had been leased for hay production for 20 years. But the couple had their minds set on the plot at […]
Life on the Other Side
When Chris Moon wakes up in the morning, he walks down the steps of his Bowser home and heads straight to his record player. “I take care in deciding what record to put on, because I know there’s three other people who are going to be listening to it and I challenge myself to try […]
It’s Show Time
Photos and Images by Brian Argyle For three decades now, car shows in the Parksville Qualicum Beach area have been well attended by both exhibitors and spectators. In fact, the Qualicum Beach car show was mentioned by Oprah Winfrey as ‘One Of The Top Ten Things To Do On Father’s Day,’ and the car show […]
Culture Craze
By Lissa Alexander Photos by Brian Argyle/Lissa Alexander The little metal objects were glinting in the mall’s bright lights, as Lisa Hayward made her way toward the retail booth, eyes wide with anticipation. “I actually ran out of my store, and I said, ‘What are you guys selling?’ Hayward explains. “And they said ‘Body jewelry’ […]
The Power of Flowers
Article and photos by Shirley Culpin. All it took was an ad in the local newspaper to launch the Mid Island Floral Art Club, combined with the determination of one woman. “The Floral Art Club is really an offshoot of the Eaglecrest Garden Club,” says founding president Lynn Bonner. “The Eaglecrest club was being run […]
Carving out a life in Cob on Lasqueti Island
Photos and Story by Lissa Alexander The concept for Dave Olsen’s dream house was born out of a disaster. The Cob house that he and his 13-year-old daughter Anicca now live in sits atop a craggy hilltop on Lasqueti Island. It is 900 square feet, built with sand, clay and straw. Lasqueti is off-grid, which […]
Coombs Rodeo Grounds
Keeping Tradition Alive at the Coombs Rodeo Grounds By Amber-Lea Marie Photos by Brian Argyle The Coombs Rodeo Grounds – where generations of history-rich stories continue to rise from the dust thanks to the steadfast determination of a small group of local individuals. Three of these locals, tied together with tradition and a sense of nuanced […]
A courtship with coffee and music
Story by Shirley Culpin Photos by Brian Argyle It’s a long way from West Yorkshire in England to Qualicum Beach. And it’s a long, long way from being a professional viola player to becoming a purveyor of fine coffee. In a nutshell though, that is Jeremy Perkins’ story and for him and his young family, there […]
Picking the perfect Christmas tree
Article by Shirley Culpin Photos by Brian Argyle A trip to the Whiskey Creek Tree Farm to cut Christmas trees has become an annual tradition for thousands in this area. Families trek out en masse to the remote Melrose Road location that runs uphill along 40 hectares of hydro lines, traipse among the 50,000 trees, cut down […]